Is the Arctic Ocean Bigger Than Antarctica?

The Arctic Ocean and Antarctica are Earth's two polar regions — opposites in geography but linked in climate and global ecology. One is an ocean surrounded by land; the other is a continent surrounded by ocean. So how do they compare in size? Remarkably, they're almost identical.

The Short Answer

Yes, the Arctic Ocean is slightly bigger than Antarctica — but just barely. The Arctic Ocean covers about 14,060,000 km². Antarctica covers about 14,000,000 km². The Arctic Ocean is only about 0.4% larger. They are essentially the same size.

Side-by-Side Numbers

• Arctic Ocean area: ~14,060,000 km² (~5,427,000 sq mi)
• Antarctica area: ~14,000,000 km² (~5,405,000 sq mi)
• Difference: Arctic Ocean is ~60,000 km² larger
• Ratio: Arctic Ocean is ~1.004× the size of Antarctica
• Arctic Ocean average depth: 1,205 m
• Antarctica average ice thickness: ~2,160 m

The Arctic Ocean

The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five oceans. It is located mostly within the Arctic Circle and is surrounded by Eurasia and North America — the world's two largest landmasses. The ocean is bordered by Russia, Norway, Greenland (Denmark), Canada, the United States (Alaska), and Iceland. Major bodies of water within the Arctic include the Barents Sea, Kara Sea, Laptev Sea, East Siberian Sea, Chukchi Sea, Beaufort Sea, Greenland Sea, and Norwegian Sea.

Most of the Arctic Ocean is covered by floating sea ice that varies seasonally — about 14 million km² in winter, shrinking to about 3.5 million km² in summer (with the minimum continuing to shrink due to climate change). The ocean's deepest point is the Litke Deep in the Eurasian Basin, at about 5,449 m. The North Pole sits in the middle of the Arctic Ocean, about 700 km from the nearest land (in Greenland).

Antarctica

Antarctica is the 5th largest continent and the southernmost place on Earth. The entire continent sits within the Antarctic Circle and is centered on the South Pole. The continent is bordered by the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definitions, by the southern reaches of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans). It is the only continent with no permanent population — about 1,000–5,000 researchers live there seasonally, with no native human cultures.

About 98% of Antarctica is covered by an ice sheet — the largest body of ice on Earth, containing about 26.5 million km³ of ice, roughly 70% of the world's freshwater. The ice sheet averages about 2,160 m thick, with some areas exceeding 4,000 m. If all of Antarctica's ice melted, global sea levels would rise about 58 m. The continent is the highest on average (the bedrock is mostly above sea level, and the ice adds to that), windiest, driest, and coldest in the world.

Geography Contrast

The two are perfect geographic opposites. The Arctic is essentially an ocean surrounded by continents — Eurasia, North America, and Greenland enclose a relatively shallow marine basin. Most of the area is liquid water or floating sea ice. Antarctica is essentially a continent surrounded by ocean — a massive landmass with the Southern Ocean encircling it. Almost all of Antarctica's area is covered by thick land ice that sits on bedrock.

Sea Ice and Ice Sheets

The two regions store water in fundamentally different forms. The Arctic Ocean's ice is mostly sea ice — frozen ocean water floating on top of the ocean. Sea ice doesn't raise sea levels when it melts because it's already displacing seawater. However, the Arctic also contains the Greenland Ice Sheet (which is technically on Greenland, but within the broader Arctic region) — about 1.7 million km² of land ice. Antarctica's ice is overwhelmingly land ice. The Antarctic Ice Sheet covers the continent and contains about 7 times more ice than the Greenland Ice Sheet. Land ice melting raises sea levels significantly. The full melt of the Antarctic Ice Sheet would raise sea levels by about 58 m; the full Greenland melt would raise them by about 7.2 m.

Climate and Conditions

Both regions are extremely cold but with different climate dynamics. The Arctic Ocean is generally warmer than the Antarctic interior because it's an ocean (water moderates temperature better than land). Average winter temperatures near the North Pole are about −34°C; summer averages near 0°C (at the freezing point of seawater, with ice melting). Antarctica is colder. The interior averages about −60°C in winter and −30°C in summer at the South Pole. The Vostok Station in Antarctica recorded the coldest natural temperature ever measured on Earth at −89.2°C in 1983.

Wildlife

The two regions support very different wildlife. The Arctic has rich land and sea wildlife including polar bears, Arctic foxes, reindeer/caribou, muskoxen, Arctic hares, lemmings, walruses, seals (ringed, bearded, harp, hooded), beluga whales, narwhals, bowhead whales, and many seabirds. Indigenous Arctic peoples (Inuit, Yupik, Sami, Nenets, Chukchi) have lived in the region for thousands of years. Antarctica has no land mammals or reptiles. The only large vertebrates that breed on the continent are several penguin species (Emperor, Adelie, Chinstrap, Gentoo) and seabirds. The surrounding Southern Ocean supports whales, seals, krill, fish, and squid. Antarctic biodiversity is concentrated in the coastal regions and the surrounding ocean.

Human Presence

The Arctic has been continuously inhabited by Indigenous peoples for thousands of years. Today the Arctic region (including northern parts of Russia, Canada, Alaska, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and Greenland) is home to about 4 million people, including roughly 500,000 Indigenous people. Major Arctic cities include Murmansk (Russia, about 300,000 people), Tromsø (Norway), Nuuk (Greenland), Reykjavík (Iceland, technically just south of the Arctic Circle). Antarctica has no permanent human population. About 70 research stations operated by various nations host between 1,000 (winter) and 5,000 (summer) researchers and support staff at any given time. The Antarctic Treaty (1959) prohibits military activity and resource extraction on the continent.

Geopolitical Status

The two regions have very different political statuses. The Arctic is divided among five countries with sovereign coastlines: Russia, Canada, the US, Norway, and Denmark (via Greenland). Disputes over maritime boundaries, the central Arctic Ocean seabed, and shipping routes are ongoing. Climate change is making the Arctic more accessible, accelerating geopolitical competition. Antarctica is governed by the Antarctic Treaty System, signed in 1959. The treaty sets aside territorial claims, prohibits military activity, and promotes scientific cooperation. Seven countries (Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, the UK) have unrecognized territorial claims. The 1991 Madrid Protocol bans resource extraction until at least 2048.

Climate Change Impact

Both are at the front line of climate change. The Arctic is warming about 4 times faster than the global average — a phenomenon called Arctic amplification. Summer sea ice has declined dramatically since satellite records began in 1979; some models predict ice-free summers within decades. The melting Greenland Ice Sheet is contributing significantly to global sea-level rise (about 270 gigatons of ice per year). Antarctica is warming more slowly than the Arctic, but specific regions (the Antarctic Peninsula, parts of West Antarctica) are warming dramatically. The Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica is sometimes called the "Doomsday Glacier" because its potential collapse could trigger significant sea-level rise (1+ m globally).

Key Facts

• The Arctic Ocean and Antarctica are nearly identical in area.
• The Arctic is an ocean surrounded by land; Antarctica is land surrounded by ocean.
• The Arctic has Indigenous human populations; Antarctica has none.
• Antarctica contains 70% of the world's freshwater (in ice).
• Both are warming faster than the global average.

Fun Facts

• The North Pole has no land — just floating sea ice over deep ocean.
• The South Pole sits on about 2,800 m of ice on top of bedrock.
• The coldest natural temperature ever recorded was −89.2°C at Vostok Station, Antarctica.
• The Arctic has 24 hours of darkness in winter and 24 hours of daylight in summer.
• Polar bears live only in the Arctic; penguins live only in the Southern Hemisphere (and not just in Antarctica).
• The Arctic Ocean has summer sea ice extent that varies dramatically between 3.5 and 14 million km².
• Antarctica is the only continent with no native human population.
• Both regions have research stations operating year-round.

The Bottom Line

The Arctic Ocean is essentially the same size as Antarctica — within 0.4% of each other. The remarkable similarity in area between Earth's two polar regions is partly coincidence and partly reflects how Earth's tectonic configuration has shaped both poles. But they are perfect opposites geographically — one ocean, one continent. Both are critical to global climate, both are warming rapidly, and both will continue to be central to climate science and geopolitics in the 21st century.